Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-12
ASSISTED IH7HIGRATTOY.

In recent letter to Mr.. West, the
British Minister at Washington, replying
TO an inquiry as to whether this govern
ment would permit the importation Of
families from Ireland at the expense of
the British government, Secretary Bayard
discusses briefly question which prom
ises TO become, if it is not already, the
most vital issue in the social and political
affairs Of this country. Says Mr.. Bayard
in this letter: "The economic ard polit-
ical conditions Of the United States have
always led the government to favor i'm
migration, and all persons seeking 8 new
field Of effort and coming hither
with a view to the Improvement
of their condition by the free exercise Of
their faculties have been cordially re-
ceived. The same conditions have caused
other kinds of immigration to be re-
garded as undesirable, and led 10 the
adoption By Congress of laws to prevent
the coming of paupers, criminals and GER
tain other enumerated classes. Such i'm
migration the economic and political con-
ditions Of the United States render pecu-
lisrly unacceptable" 1t is thought that
this will be prominent question before
the next Congress, and that public senti-
ment will force it 10 the adoption of
more stringent measures to keep out I'M
desirable immigration than have ever
been seriously considered in Congress
before. The conservative element of the
country is waking up to the fact tnat
American institutions are being seriously
endangered by the lsXity of the require
ments for American citizenship. Com
munistic agitation and action in various
parts of the country have resulted in con-
vincing thinking men that something
more is required than the atmosphere of
q free country to develop the true spirit
of freedom. The social complications
which present the most difficult
problem to be dealt with by the
statesmen of to-day are made doubly
complex by the ignorance and the pre-
JUDGES of g large proportion of those in
volved in the settlement Of these ques-
tions, dwarfed as they were in mental
and physical development by the training
of foreign despotisms. 1t is q singular
and significant fact thst the victims OF
foreign oppression who fly to these shores
for refuge seem to trans fer to the gov
eminent which offers them exemption
from oppression and o hearty welcome
the hatred which they felt for their
native rulers. Too often this flnds vent
in open hostility to the most venerated
institutions Of this country-in-
stituticns which have given per-
manence and strength to our re-
publican form of government, and with
out which there would now be no asylum
here for the haters Of despotism of every
sort.
The events of the last two or three
years have given warning that the time
has come for the settlement Of the lmmi-
grafton problem. With a steady in
fux from every European nation OF
the classes mentioned by Secretary Bay
ard, every moment of delay involves in
creasing peril to the country. The CON-
element, which is drawn almost
solely from these classes, threatens soon
to be able to WELD the balance OF political
power. Should its ambition ever be real
lied, the country may have to choose be-
tween partial abandonment of constitu-
tional liberty and 8 surrender to anarchy.
Such an alternative may be avoided
by prompt measures now looking to q !
purifying of the stream OF immigration
which is pouring into this country. Who !
ever in or out of Congress refuses to join
N the adoption of such measures should
DC put down as demagogue, who is